Stop the abuse of migrant workers in Qatar | Amnesty International
Stop the abuse of migrant workers in Qatar | Amnesty International:
Every hour the population of Qatar increases by 20 people, with Qatar recruiting migrant workers at a remarkable rate to support its construction boom. The vast majority of these migrant workers come from South and Southeast Asia and are seeking a better life for themselves and their families back home.
But once in Qatar, migrant workers are open to numerous forms of abuse, through weakly enforced labour standards and a system of “sponsorship”, which allows unscrupulous companies to exploit them; in some cases migrant workers are in situations of forced labour.
Migrant workers’ salaries are often withheld for months, or not paid at all. They have to obtain permission from their employers to leave Qatar and 90% of workers have their passports held by their employers. This can leave many migrant workers without the means to get home, trapped in a foreign country, and alone.
Migrant workers' accomodation in Qatar © Shaival Dalal
